Tigers enjoying the friendly confines of Rosenblatt

Clemson first baseman Richie Shaffer just misses on hitting a ball completely out of the stadium.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Sat Jun 19 09:17:14 GMT-04:00 2010

OMAHA – “Doggone it, I should I have eaten a couple of more cheeseburgers.”

Those were the words spoken by Clemson first baseman Richie Shaffer, to teammate John Hinson, after his batting practice bomb just missed completely going out of Rosenblatt Stadium, instead bouncing and hitting the awning at the top of the stands in left field.

Shaffer wasn’t the only Tiger player enjoying the friendly confines of Rosenblatt, a notorious hitters’ park, as Clemson took batting practice for the first time in the fabled park. Kyle Parker, Mike Freeman, John Hinson and others all took their turns seeing how the park plays, and the general consensus was the grass is slow, the infield is hard, and the ball really flies.

TigerNet took a moment to speak with some of the Tiger players following the batting practice session, and here are some of the quotes, including Kyle Parker, who had some of the more impressive shots of the day.

Kyle Parker – “That [the batting practice show] was just adrenaline and having everyone around you watching you and hitting new baseballs. This seems like a great place to play, but we can’t take this out there with us on Sunday. We have to have different swings and a different approach. Today the ball was flying and we were facing a guy throwing 70 mph down the middle. Sunday will be a different story, and we’ll be facing a guy who can really pitch, so we’ll l have to have a different approach.”

Wilson Boyd – “Batting practice was great. We lost a lot of new baseballs today, or we gave some away. The ball is absolutely flying out of here compared to back home. We just have to make adjustments to this field. The field itself is going to be the same thing, we just have to make our reads and account for the winds and the sun and factor those things into our preparation.”

John Hinson – “This stadium has so much tradition and notoriety; it’s just incredible to be here. It was an amazing feeling seeing it for the first time. We came here straight off the bus and didn’t even go to the hotel. We looked around and took a bunch of pictures. It was amazing to take BP today, and the atmosphere was amazing, with the kids asking for balls and people asking for autographs. There is nowhere else like it in the world. The infield plays pretty straight, but the ball carries a little bit. It will be fun this weekend for sure. There will definitely be a lot of home runs hit.”

Brad Miller – “I think we all got a little bit excited and had the adrenaline going, trying to get some balls out of here. This is a nice infield, but the grass is a little slow. Just have to see it at game speed. But it’s an honor to be out here for sure. It’s an experience, and it doesn’t sink in til you are here to see it for yourself. This is just surreal, but it’s great to be here.”

Richie Shaffer – “It’s a big old field, but it carries well. We will see how it plays out during the game. It’s amazing just being out here and taking BP. This is so much fun, I don’t think I’ve stopped smiling since I got here. Taking batting practice was pretty fun, so I am sure the game itself will be pretty special. I can’t wait to see what playing in a game here is like. And the kids are all here asking for autographs, and not too long ago I was one of those kids. This is special.”